PRACTICAL CASE

1. Which type of fraudulent claim that has recently increased?

a) Companies try to avoid the cost of paying workers compensation premiums and not
insuring their employees.
b) Employees filling claims but quietly working another job
c) Employees include real injuries that were not work-related or stretching out recovery
time.
d) Employee involve collecting benefits for exaggerated or nonexistent injuries
2.

What does the Occupational Safety and Health Administration develop to

enforce OSHA?
a) Occupational standards Variances/Workplace inspections/OSHRC
b) Occupational standards Variances/workplace inspections/Citations and penalties
c) Occupational standards Variances/Workplace inspections/NIOSH
3. OSHA requires all workers under this circumstances to be educated about
bloodborne pathogens and trained in how to reduce the risks of infection. What
are the key points of OSHA guidances:
a) Provide personal protection equipment, such as gloves and masks.
b) Identify the methods of decontamination
c) Educate employees regarding AIDS
d) keep the medical records of employees
e) all of the answers are correct

4.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
5.
a)
b)
c)

The hearing impairment can also be related to:

Reduction of eye focus
Disorientation
Accidents
Chemicals
Childhood issues

What are EAPs designed to do?

They are encouraging employees to lead more healthy lives
They are attempting to reduce health care costs
They help employees whose job performance is suffering because of physical, mental,
or emotional problems
d) They address a variety of employee problems ranging from drug abuse to marital
problems

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

B
B
E
AB C
CD

4. ETHICS: Standing Up to Workplace Bullies.

CASE STUDY
As discussed in this chapter, violence in the workplace can take a variety of forms.
One form that can be relatively subtle but that can wreak havoc in the workplace is bullying.
Just what is bullying? In general, workplace bullying might be described as abrasive or
intimidating employee behavior. The Workplace Bullying and Trauma Institute defines
bullying as repeated, health-harming mistreatment that could include verbal abuse;
threatening, humiliating, or offensive behavior; or work interference.
If this type of treatment was directed at a member of a protected class, the bullying
could be found to be illegal discrimination. However, if the victim is not a member of a
protected class, antidiscrimination law will not offer any protection, at least in the United
States. Canada, Australia, and Europe have passed antibullying laws. Workplace antibullying
legislation has been introduced in at least 16 states, but none have been passed into law. A
federal antibullying law would protect everyone, not just certain subgroups of employees.
Critics fear that antibullying legislation could result in liability for employers and a huge
number of lawsuits. They also argued that bullying cannot be defined precisely enough, which
makes it difficult to outlaw.
Although it may be difficult to define, a recent survey found that 37 percent of
employees feel that they have been bullied at work. Research has also found that workers who
have been bullied tend to be less satisfied with their jobs, have greater anxiety, and are more
likely to quit their jobs. Some accountants have also reported in a recent limited survey that
they are more likely to alter numbers in reports when they are pressured by bullies.
Although bullying may not be in violation of federal or state law, organizations that
want to be an employer of choice and have effective work teams and a high level of
productivity shouldnt tolerate it. Goodwill of Southern California provides an example of
what an organization can do to prevent or stop workplace bullying. Goodwill established an
interpersonal misconduct policy as a means to operationalize its strategic values of respect,
integrity, service, and excellence. Goodwills policy states that interpersonal misconduct is an
individuals behavior that bullies, demeans, intimidates, ridicules, insults, frightens,
persecutes, exploits, and/or threatens a targeted individual and would be perceived as such by
a reasonable person. Goodwill is targeting patterns of this type of behavior, rather than
focusing on isolated incidents. The organization has terminated employees
who have violated the policy.
QUESTIONS
1. Is workplace bullying different from discrimination?
2. Is workplace bullying different from sexual harassment?

3. Do you think legislation would be an effective tool for managing workplace bullying? Why
or why not?
4. How could you develop a workplace culture that doesnt tolerate bullying?

Answers
1.Workplace bullying is verbal, physical, social or psychological abuse. Bullying is
considered discrimination when someone treats you less favourably because of your personal
characteristics, such as age, gender, race or religin.
2.Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual attention. You can be sexually harassed by
anyone. Sexual harassment does not have to be repeated or ongoing to be against the law. So
with this statement yes, sexual harassment is a type of workplace bullying.
3.It should be a really effective tool just as it happened in the past with sexual harassment. If
it gets prohibited , the great amount of cases would not happen and if they happen they can be
penalised with legal actions just as jail or fines as distance limit with the victim.
4.Key elements of an effective anti-bullying policy
Definition of bullying and the types of behaviour that constitute bullying.
Clear statement that bullying is not acceptable in the organisation and will not be tolerated.
Transparent process for complaining about bullying and for dealing with complaints about
bullying.
The policy should: define bullying and the types of behaviour which constitute bullying; state
clearly that bullying is not acceptable in the organisation and will not be tolerated; explain the
process for complaining about bullying and for dealing with complaints about bullying.
However, a policy on paper is not enough. The policy must be implemented and supported by
training, awareness-raising and the development of a culture in which people feel safe to
report bullying if they experience it for witness it.